CityFibre and Vodafone sign a deal for UK network connectivity

CityFibre has yesterday announced its first contract under a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Vodafone Limited. The firm is a „designer, builder, owner, and operator of fibre optic infrastructure in UK towns and cities”.

Through the agreement, CityFibre will provide connectivity to Vodafone's UK network, thus allowing its users to consume data-demanding content on their mobile devices.

It also represents an alternative to BT's fixed-line infrastructure.

According to a Financial Times report, CityFibre has come to a similar agreement with Three as well, where it will provide the latter with so-called “backhaul connection.

Operators are looking for an alternative to BT, ahead of its acquisition of EE. Once that happens, BT will become a competitor to the likes of Vodafone and Three, which will make operators hesitate before giving it any additional business.

The first call-off under the agreement is in the City of York, utilizing CityFibre’s existing 120km York CORE metro fibre network.

“This contract from Vodafone marks yet another important milestone for CityFibre, following two years of engagement and negotiations with this important new partner,” said Greg Mesch, Chief Executive of CityFibre.

"As an approved supplier to Vodafone, CityFibre now has the opportunity to bring enhanced pure fibre connectivity to Vodafone’s customers. Furthermore, the addition of Vodafone to our partner ecosystem means that CityFibre has now secured trading relationships with the majority of Tier 1 service providers in the business and mobile connectivity markets.”

BT provides the majority of connections for most of the UK through its national network, although a number of alternative network providers have emerged including CityFibre and Gigaclear.